Mosaic

Winter / Spring 2011

MOSAIC The magazine of the Alabama Humanities Foundation

Study

Alabama’s Gulf Coast With Us

Celebrating a Legendary Author Explore Alabama’s “Journey Stories”

ahf.net

Alabama Humanities Foundation Board of Directors

Our kudzu philosophy: At AHF, we think we have a lot to learn from kudzu, or at least its concept.

Jim Noles, Chair, Birmingham

Like it or hate it, kudzu is truly a ubiquitous

John Rochester, Vice Chair, Ashland

feature of Alabama as well as our Southern

Danny Patterson, Treasurer, Mobile

neighbors. No matter who you are,

Lisa Narrell-Mead, Secretary, Birmingham Lynne Berry*, Huntsville

where you’re from or how deeply you’re

Calvin Brown*, Decatur

rooted in the humanities, if you know

Malik Browne, Eutaw

Alabama, you know kudzu. Pesky as it may

Rick Cook, Auburn

be, the plant is common to everyone. Kudzu

Cathy Crenshaw, Birmingham

spreads and grows, links and connects. And

David Donaldson, Birmingham

much like the rich humanities in our state,

Kathleen Dotts, Huntsville

kudzu can be found, well, everywhere.

Reggie Hamner, Montgomery Janice Hawkins*, Troy Kay Kimbrough, Mobile John Knapp, Birmingham Robert Olin, Tuscaloosa Carolyn Reed, Birmingham Guin Robinson, Birmingham Nancy Sanford, Sheffield

archaeology

art history

classics

film studies

history

jurisprudence

languages

literature

philosophy & ethics

theatre history

Lee Sentell*, Montgomery Dafina Ward, Birmingham Wyatt Wells, Montgomery Bob Whetstone*, Birmingham Billie Jean Young, Marion

*denotes governor’s appointee

Alabama Humanities Foundation Staff

The Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF), founded in 1974, is the state nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Enhancing Minds. Enriching Lives.

Bob Stewart, Executive Director Alma Anthony, Administrative Assistant

1100 Ireland Way, Suite 101 n Birmingham, AL 35205

Thomas Bryant, Director of Programs and SUPER Manager Michael Chambers II, Programs Coordinator Jennifer Dome, Public Relations and Publications Manager

Phone: (205) 558-3980 n Fax: (205) 558-3981 E-mail: ahf@ahf.net n Website: ahf.net n Blog: ahf.net/blog

Behind Mosaic

Paul Lawson, CFRE, Director of Development and Public Relations

Designer: Kari Whitaker

Dominique Linchet, Grants Director

In-kind copy editors: Béverly Bashor, Heather Duerre Humann and Laura Navratil Thrasher

Cynthia Martin, Programs and Development Assistant

Please direct all Mosaic comments, questions or concerns to Jennifer Dome at (205) 558-3991 or jdome@ahf.net.

Patricia Williams, Financial Officer

Humanities Highlight Reflections

Past Grants and Programs

A Moving Capital

At right: Inauguration ceremony for Jefferson Davis in Montgomery on February 18, 1861.

Courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama

Cultural Crossroads, a symposium on Alabama history, focused on “Alabama’s Capital on Wheels” with scholarly talks on St. Stephens, Huntsville, Cahawba, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery. Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery, the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center in Auburn and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts co-sponsored the annual conference. Leah Rawls Atkins began with a survey of when, where and why Alabama’s five capitals moved. Mary Ann Neeley, co-founder of Cultural Crossroads with Kathryn Braund, talked about Montgomery’s effort to “capture the capital,” the opening and burning of the first capitol, the rebuilding and its role in the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. Jonathan Matthews, assistant site director of Old Cahawba Archaeological Park, discussed the history and myths about Cahawba, “Alabama’s famous ghost town.” Altogether, the scholars’ presentations told a fascinating story of Alabama through the history of its capitals. – Susan Perry n

Looking Ahead Future Grants and Programs

Coming Right Up Road Scholars Speakers Bureau Presentations

Oakleigh’s Cox-Deasy House was once the home of Eugene Walter.

Historic Mobile Preservation Society

Literature in Prog Present Grants and Programs

Follow the Trail

March 7, 2011 “At Home Between the Earth and Sky: Voices from Chandler Mountain” with Dolores Hydock Hoover Library (Hoover) Sponsored by the Friends of the Hoover Public Library 10:00 a.m.

Pat S. Bendall: (205) 823-2891

March 29, 2011 “Footprint on the Sky: Memories of a Chandler Mountain Spring” with Dolores Hydock Irondale Library (Birmingham) Sponsored by the Irondale Public Library 6:00 p.m.

April Wallace: (205) 951-1415 Joyce Cauthen

Dolores Hydock

The Southern Literary Trail celebrates the writers and their places in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi. In Mobile, Trailfest 2011 features a homes tour with an examination of Albert Murray and a “sneak preview” of the documentary film about Augusta Evans Wilson by New York filmmaker Robert Clem. Also, Broadway actor Joel Vig and scholars John Hafner and Sue Walker will read Eugene Walter’s writings about Mobile porches on the porch of the Oakleigh’s Cox-Deasy House where the writer lived.

In Demopolis, the local theatre will produce “The Glass Menagerie” to celebrate the 100th birthday of Tennessee Williams. The 45th anniversary of Truman Capote’s Black and White Dance will be the topic of Monroeville’s program by Don Noble, John Hafner and Ralph Voss. In Montgomery, Frances and David Robb will discuss Tallulah Bankhead, who appeared in plays by Tennessee Williams and pushed her way onto the exclusive guest list of Capote’s dance.

Among “often overlooked” writers, Jim Haskins of Demopolis will be the subject of a retrospective program with jazz music from the University of West Alabama. Hartselle will recognize the challenges faced by journalist/novelist William Bradford Huie, who covered the Civil Rights struggle.

Visit the trail website southernliterarytrail.org for specific dates and locations for these literary programs. – Susan Perry n

March 3, 2011 “At Home Between the Earth and Sky: Voices from Chandler Mountain” with Dolores Hydock 2324 Cumberland Lake Drive (Pinson) Sponsored by the NLAPW Pen Women of America 10:30 a.m.

Bettye Howell: (205) 681-3580

April 14, 2011 “Fiddlers, Banjo Players, and Strawbeaters: Alabama’s First Pop Musicians” with Joyce Cauthen First Presbyterian Church (Prattville) Sponsored by the Friends of the Autauga-Prattville Public Library 6:30 p.m.

Jan Earnest: (334) 365-3396

Winter / Spring 2011

The mission of the Alabama Humanities Foundation is to create and foster opportunities to explore human values and meanings through the humanities.

MOSAIC

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On the Cover: Birds flock to the sandy beaches of Alabama’s Gulf Coast as an imposing oil rig can be seen in the distance. Learn about our SUPER and SES institutes that will explore this surviving region of our state on pages 12-13. Photo courtesy of Jenny Newberry

In Every Issue

Special Section

Humanities Highlight 3 Empowering Communities 6 What’s on the Web? 10 Giving and Receiving 11 Spotlight On… 22 Around Alabama 23

Telling Our Story

Feature 24

Celebrating a Legendary Author

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Truman Capote spent a number of his formative years in Monroeville, Alabama, running around with Nelle Harper Lee, sharpening his skills on a typewriter. Here, we examine his life, his connection to Monroeville and his notorious novel In Cold Blood, 45 years later.

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From the Board Chair

ven one month later, still in the glow of the post-holiday season, people often find themselves confronting important questions—both practical and philosophical.

Can I return this reindeer fur fedora without a receipt?

Does my great aunt really expect me to display in our living room this oil painting of her beloved Pekingese that she gave us?

And why do I keep getting these copies of Mosaic?

I can’t help you with the first two questions. The answer to the third, however, is considerably easier. You receive Mosaic because we at the Alabama Humanities Foundation believe that you share our belief that the study, appreciation and enjoyment of the humanities in Alabama is as important as ever.

But a follow-up question promises to be much more difficult: Just what are the “humanities”?

I’ll share my own definition with you. The humanities are those fields of study that enrich and enhance our lives by helping to define, explain and celebrate what it means to be human. A recitation of the fields of study of the humanities—the classics, jurisprudence, theatre and art history, film studies, literature, history, languages, philosophy and ethics, to name a few—probably provides further clarity.

I admit that my definition encompasses a lot of territory. Perhaps even more troubling, that broad definition lacks a sense of immediacy and urgency. At times, it probably even invites ridicule.

It certainly did at West Point in my younger and thinner days.

Back then, my fellow cadets and I were grouped into two academic tracks. Although all cadets labored through a punishing core curriculum (where else, for example, is a history major required to take electrical engineering?), cadets were either MSE (math, science, and engineering) or HPA (humanities and public affairs). I selected the HPA track, which was disparagingly called “House Plants and Animals” by the slide rule-wielding cadets of the MSE track.

To some extent, I can see the other cadets’ point. After all, wasn’t it engineers and scientists that raced the world to build the Panama Canal, raced death to find a vaccine for polio, raced the Nazis to build the atomic bomb and raced the Soviets to put a man on the Moon? It wasn’t poets, authors, artists or history professors.

At the same time, however, I think back to what Winston Churchill (perhaps apocryphally) said when his government was urged to cut funding for the arts in Great Britain during the Second World War. “Then what are we fighting for?” he supposedly retorted.

I’m enough of a lawyer to be skeptical when I can’t find a source, and I’m afraid that I can’t source Sir Winston’s observation. But that doesn’t mean I don’t endorse the message.

That’s why I like to think that, somewhere along the line, the once and future George Goethals, Jonas Salks, J. Robert Oppenheimers and Werner von Brauns of the world might have found moments of inspiration for their scientific and engineering goals, their struggles and their triumphs in—dare I say—the humanities? Maybe they made such discoveries in a book, a poem, a painting or even a philosophical conversation that, perhaps only subconsciously, inspired and steeled their souls for the challenges to come. Furthermore, now that I think about it, perhaps such moments occurred in our own home state. After all, both Goethals and von Braun once called Alabama home.

As I type these last few words, I’m left realizing that the humanities are as much a catalyst as a conclusion, as much an impetus as an accomplishment, and as much a means as an end. And that’s why the humanities are important, why we on the Alabama Humanities Foundation Board of Directors devote so much time to the foundation’s work, and why you’re holding this copy of Mosaic.

Best wishes for an inspiring and fulfilling 2011. n

Jim Noles co-chaired AHF’s 2010 To Kill a Mockingbird events.

Here, he and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased “Camellia from Courthouse” by Annie Butrus at an auction at Wynfield Estates.

Jim Noles, Chair AHF Board of Directors

Empowering Communities Humanities news and events from across the state.

Take a Journey With Us

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labama’s next Museum on Main Street exhibition, “Journey Stories,” will examine the intersection between modes of travel and Americans’ desire to feel free to move. The stories are diverse and focus on immigration, migration, innovation and freedom. “Journey Stories” will use engaging images with audio and artifacts to tell the individual stories that illustrate the critical roles travel and movement have played in building our diverse American society.

The exhibit is a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institute and the Alabama Humanities Foundation. It will tour Alabama

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Winter/Spring 2011

during the following dates at six selected host sites. Each community will develop a local exhibition and public programs to tell their journey stories.

June 25-August 7, 2011 — Jasper August 10-September 26, 2011 — Alexander City September 28-November 14, 2011 — Marion November 16, 2011-January 2, 2012 — Mobile January 4-February 20, 2012 — Eufaula February 22-April 8, 2012 — Arab

The first host site, Jasper, will house the exhibit at the Bankhead House & Heritage Center, the former home of William B. Bankhead, a U.S. representative and speaker of

Left: A girl and her family migrate from Florida to New Jersey in search of work, 1940. Courtesy of the Library of Congress Right: Migrant workers walk along a North Carolina road, 1940. Courtesy of the Library of Congress

In Every Issue

the house in the 1920s and 30s. Organized by the Walker Area Community Foundation and the Walker County Arts Alliance, the site’s team also includes the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County and the Jasper Public Library, among others. Already, plans are underway for the accompanying exhibit highlighting Jasper’s own “Journey Stories,” including its location along the Bankhead National Highway.

“We want to reach out into the community to reach many different types of people and fulfill our mission to bring the arts to Walker County,” says Beth Sargent, executive coordinator for the Walker County Arts Alliance.

Their hope, Sargent says, is to create lasting exhibits at several locations throughout Jasper that will remain even after “Journey Stories” has moved on to the next site.

One such exhibit is a public art project titled the Walker County Arts Alliance 20 Mule Team. The alliance plans to erect 20 life-size mules that will be painted or decorated in some fashion by local artists or organizations.

These mules will help create excitement for Jasper’s own story of movement since mules were used in the area for mining, farming and in the lumber industry. “I think it will expose so many members of the community to history and something so professionally handled [as “Journey Stories”],” Sargent says. “It could inspire people to look at things with a different perspective.”

For more information about the “Journey Stories” exhibits, please check ahf.net in the coming months. – Jennifer Dome n

The Rocky Mountains: Emigrants Crossing the Plains, by Currier and Ives, 1866.

Courtesy of The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

Stories from The Box The Smithsonian exhibition “Journey Stories” has inspired Alabama to capture contemporary stories from those who moved to Alabama to put down new roots, and from those who returned to the homeland of grandparents who left for new lives in the north. Reminiscent of the old-fashioned photo booth, The Box, produced by the University of Alabama Center for Public TV & Radio, will travel “to targeted places to explore the stories found within what some might consider homogenous communities: the Cambodian and Vietnamese members of a Mobile Buddhist temple, the Pentecostals of the Sand Mountain settlements, the inmates at Tutwiler Prison for Women, the Jewish congregants of Dothan who advertised nationally to recruit new members to their community, the descendents of the German rocket scientists who inspired Huntsville’s ‘Operation Paperclip,’ and others.” According to Executive Producer Elizabeth Brock, the familiar environment of the old-fashioned photo booth will encourage participants to “bear witness” to a video camera with no interviewer.

The Box will also record journey stories in the six host communities for the traveling exhibition. These communities have diverse transportation stories—from wagons, stagecoaches, steamboats and trains to automobiles and airplanes.

People in these communities have expressed concern that the individual stories of their older citizens are being lost. A video presentation will be screened at the “Journey Stories” exhibition sites, as well as distributed via conventional broadcast media, online streaming video and social media. The Box will travel to communities often missed by conventional media to document personal stories and to explore issues related to movement, migration and travel. – Susan Perry n

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Empowering Communities (continued)

Grants Awarded AHF awarded grants totaling $145,000 in fiscal year 2010.

Southern Outsiders Film Series English Department, Auburn University $1,975 outright The film series and scholarly discussion examine the concept of “outsider artist,” inspired by the exhibition “Reverend Howard Finster: Stranger in Paradise.”

Troy University Black History Month Lecture Series Troy University-Dothan $1,975 outright To celebrate Black History Month, Mike Searles of Augusta State University will talk about black cowboys in the American West and Tonya Baxter will share her poetry based on her experiences as a prison guard.

ArchiTreats: Food for Thought Friends of the Alabama Archives $1,911.50 outright The monthly lecture series complements the Alabama Tourism Department’s Year of Alabama Music and the Becoming Alabama initiative to commemorate the legacy of the War of 1812/Creek War, Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement.

Staged Reading and Discussion The Cloverdale Playhouse $1,600 outright Scholars lead a discussion of the play “Juliette’s Journey” about the librarian Juliette Morgan and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Red Mountain Reading Series Jefferson State Community College $1,850 outright Writers Rick Bragg and Anita Garner present public readings.

2011 Alabama Book Festival: Nonfiction Venue Landmarks Foundation/Old Alabama Town $3,500 outright The nonfiction venue at the Alabama Book Festival features author readings and discussions.

2011 Slash Pine Poetry Festival University of Alabama $4,000 outright The Poetry Festival brings together more than 40 national and regional poets for public readings.

Alabama Book Festival Fiction Tent Troy University $3,000 outright The fiction venue at the Alabama Book Festival features author readings and discussions.

Visiting Authors & Storytellers Series Shelby County Arts Council $3,500 outright Robert Inman, Dolores Hydock, Bobby Horton and Teresa Thorne talk to various groups in Shelby County.

The Passion of Miss Augusta Mobile Public Library $12,000 matching The documentary film explores the role of women in the 19th-century South through the life and novels of Mobile author Augusta Evans Wilson.

Journey Stories from the Box UA Center for Public TV & Radio $8,500 outright A traveling video booth captures contemporary stories about the movement of Alabamians.

UNA Storytelling Festival University of North Alabama $3,000 outright The festival celebrates the art of storytelling.

14th Annual Alabama Writers Symposium Alabama Southern Community College $5,000 outright The theme for the symposium is “Literary Gumbo: Stories, Song and Characters that flavor Alabama Literature.”

Community Wide Read: Madison County Reads Wicked City by Ace Atkins Huntsville-Madison County Public Library $5,000 The community-wide reading project promotes Wicked City by Ace Atkins and reaches out to young professionals in Madison County.

Courtesy of Old Alabama Town and the Alabama Book Festival

Alabama Book Festival The Alabama Book Festival is a fun celebration of reading on Saturday, April 16, at Old Alabama Town in Montgomery. The festival promotes literacy and reading to Alabamians of all ages. This statewide collaborative project is organized by Landmarks Foundation and Troy University, Montgomery Campus, with support from the Alabama Writers Forum, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, Alabama Public Television, Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel, and Montgomery Library System as well as the Alabama Humanities Foundation. Bring your family to meet and hear from their favorite authors, including Rick Bragg, Rheta Grimsley Johnson, Mark Childress, Joslyn Jackson, Sena Jeter Naslund, and numerous poets and writers for young readers. Visit alabamabookfestival. org for more information. —Susan Perry n

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In Every Issue

6th Annual Alabama Book Festival Poetry Tent Alabama Writers’ Forum $3,500 outright The poetry venue at the Alabama Book Festival features author readings and discussions.

The Southern Literary Trail: Alabama Trailfest 2011 Marengo County Historical Society $8,500 outright The tri-state literary journey celebrates the impact of place upon literature.

Southern Culture: The AUMLAC Conference Auburn University at Montgomery $2,500 outright The interdisciplinary forum focuses on Southern literature and Civil War history.

Listen to the Wise Ones: Exploring Narratives of the Ancestors University of South Alabama $1,550 outright The teachers’ workshop and guide provide background information to prepare students for the historic drama “Hear the Voices Ring,” taken from WPA interviews with former slaves.

Folk Art/Folk Music Vulcan Park and Museum $4,800 outright The art exhibition highlights the role of traditional music and migration from rural Alabama to Birmingham.

William Bradford Huie William Bradford Huie Library $1,000 outright Hank Klibanoff talks about the Civil Rights Movement from his experiences as a newspaper reporter and editor.

Cultural Crossroads Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery $1,200 outright Scholars discuss “Alabama’s Capital on Wheels,” including lectures on St. Stephens, Huntsville, Cahawba, Tuscaloosa and Montgomery.

Bringing the World to Alabama Alabama World Affairs Council $500 outright Two lectures focus on “The Future of Korea” from a historic perspective and the role of religion in international affairs.

Montevallo Literary Festival University of Montevallo $1,000 outright The literary festival features poetry, fiction and nonfiction readings by writers.

Mobile African-American Heritage Trail Teacher Seminar Mobile Historic Development Commission $1,600 outright The teacher seminar provides resources on African-American history for fourthgrade teachers covering Alabama State History.

Selma-Dallas County ReadingDiscussion Series Selma-Dallas County Public Library $700 outright The library offers a monthly readingdiscussion with the scholar Nancy Anderson.

Spiral: Perspectives on an African-American Art Collective Birmingham Museum of Art $800 outright Artist Richard Mayhew provides personal insight into the Spiral Art Collective.

Southern Voices 2011: Striking a Chord Hoover Public Library $1,000 outright The theme of the annual conference is archetypal images in literature and art.

At the Dark End of the Street: Rosa Parks & Beginning of the Civil Rights Movement Troy University $800 outright Danielle McGuire discusses Rosa Parks as an advocate for equal rights.

Augusta Evans Wilson, Courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama

The Passion of Miss Augusta The Mobile writer Augusta Evans Wilson (1835-1909) is a neglected figure in American literature. The documentary film “The Passion of Miss Augusta” by filmmaker Robert Clem brings to life this author through dramatization of scenes from her 1866 novel St. Elmo about an ambitious, impoverished writer like Wilson herself. This popular novel sold more than 1 million copies. Educating herself, publishing her first novel at age 16, Wilson proudly proclaimed she would never marry but would pursue her dream of being a professional author. Wilson, who married Col. Lorenzo Wilson in 1868, would become one of the bestselling authors of the 19th century.

Some critics see her romantic style as dated, but others consider her an early feminist. The film explores all perspectives and the life and career of a significant Mobile author. – Susan Perry n

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What’s on the Web?

In Every Issue

Strengthen your connection to humanities in Alabama by going online.

Online Calendar

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ach month, AHF presents numerous activities for you to enjoy and learn more about the various humanities disciplines. One event may be a presentation by one of our Road Scholars on the necessity of collecting oral histories and how to do so. Another event may be a museum exhibit, the result of a grant we at AHF awarded. But no matter what, there is something educational and engaging for everyone.

Get to know your state humanities council!

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chedule an AHF Humanities Happening talk for your next luncheon, meeting or seminar.

Talks include: • Overview of the humanities disciplines and their importance • Discussion on the AHF mission, its purpose and goals • Presentation of the foundation’s beneficial public programs • Highlighting of AHF-funded statewide grant projects • Introduction to available humanities resources, including a look at the AHF regional calendar of events and Alabama’s comprehensive web-based reference guide, the Encyclopedia of Alabama

Humanities Happening talks are provided at no cost to nonprofit groups and are led by AHF board and staff members. Talks are separate from AHF’s Road Scholars Speakers Bureau presentations.

To book a talk, contact Jennifer Dome, public relations and publications manager, at (205) 558-3991 or jdome@ ahf.net. n

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Please visit ahf.net/newsroom/eventcalendar for a list of our statewide events, plus listings focusing on your region of Alabama only.

Or, if you would like to receive our eCalendar via email each month, please contact Jennifer Dome at jdome@ahf.net to be added to our email list. – Jennifer Dome n

Web Speak

AHF is excited about the progress we’ve made in using social media tools, and elements on our website such as our blog (ahf.net/blog) to communicate with our constituents and bring more people into the exciting world of the humanities. From gaining dozens of Facebook friends and Twitter followers, to engaging our board members and staff in posting blog posts, the use of Internet tools is alive and well at AHF, and it’s continuing to expand our reach.

Here are a few tools we use to reach our audience. Sign up and join in the conversation!

Facebook What is it? A free-access website in which users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, region and interest to connect and interact with other people who share their same interests.

How is AHF using it? Facebook is primarily used to promote the foundation’s mission, statewide programs and projects, and to serve Alabamians who have specific interests in the humanities.

How do I get involved? Visit facebook.com/ alabamahumanities. To become fully involved, join Facebook and connect to us by “liking” our Facebook page.

Flickr What is it? A free image- and video-hosting site that allows visitors to view, print and download photos of all sizes.

How is AHF using it? Photos from AHF programs, grant projects and other humanities events

are uploaded to and featured on Flickr.

How do I get involved? Check Flickr frequently for AHF images by visiting flickr.com/photos/ alahumanities. Images are arranged by category on the right side of the page.

Twitter What is it? A free service that allows users to send and read other users’ updates, which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

How is AHF using it? Twitter is used to drive traffic to ahf.net, send links to humanities information and alert followers of upcoming events.

How do I get involved? Follow AHF on Twitter by going to twitter.com/ahf. Sign up and receive daily AHF updates.

Be Heard What would you like to see on our website that is currently not available? How can we make our website easier to navigate?

Let us hear from you! Send your name, location and response to jdome@ahf.net. All responses will be featured on the AHF blog.

Giving and Receiving Highlights of Alabama Humanities council-conducted and donor-supported programs.

Aiding Alabama’s Elementary Educators Rob Riley, Keri Smith (on behalf of Mary Elizabeth Lee), Takisha Durm, Beverly Robinson, Minda Riley Campbell, Patsy Riley, Diane Henderson, Cheryl Evans Hall, Gerri McDonald and Edgar Welden

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ix elementary teachers received the Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship at the 2010 Alabama Humanities awards luncheon. This scholarship will support their professional development and classroom enhancements in history and civics.

Generously funded by Edgar and Louise Welden of Birmingham, the scholarships honor the memory of Jenice Riley, the late daughter of Gov. Bob Riley and his wife, Patsy. Jenice’s dedicated passion for teaching and devotion to her community helped ensure a quality education for our state’s youth.

One recipient, Diane Henderson, a fourth-grade teacher at East Lawrence Middle School in Trinity, plans to teach her students about patriotic music to help teach American and Alabama history. “We will soon be to our unit about pioneers in Alabama and will learn some folk songs from that era,” she said in an email written last fall. “Also, coming up, we will be talking about the slavery era and learning some of the spirituals that were sung by slaves.” – Susan Perry n

AHF is now accepting applications for the 2011 Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship Scholarships may be used for attending an institute or seminar; traveling to libraries, museums or archives; offering an innovative school program; or providing new education opportunities for students. Selection will be based on the teacher’s commitment to encouraging students’ pride in Alabama and America, helping students to understand history, instilling awareness and appreciation of our forefathers and heritage, building civic pride and teaching the value of public service. Please visit ahf.net for an application and application guidelines, or contact AHF Grants Director Dominique Linchet at dlinchet@ahf.net or (205) 5583993 for more information. The deadline for applications is Friday, May 27.

Takisha Durm Sixth-grade teacher at PACE Alternative Education, Huntsville Takisha Durm will purchase equipment for her students to record oral histories of famous Alabamians as historians in training.

Cheryl Evans Hall Third-grade teacher at Lacey’s Spring School, Lacey’s Spring Cheryl Hall believes in teaching history through hands-on activities, so she will purchase Burritt on the Mountain Traveling Trunks and Social Studies Resources to create Social Studies Teaching Centers in her classroom. Third-grade students will create “shirt-book” biographies of famous Alabamians, paper quilts and American history plays.

Diane Henderson Fourth-grade teacher at East Lawrence Middle School, Trinity Diane Henderson will use patriotic music to teach American and Alabama history. She will purchase a keyboard, autoharp and videos about American Cultural Heritage to incorporate music history into the classroom experience.

Mary Elizabeth Lee Sixth-grade teacher at New Market Elementary School, New Market Mary Lee’s students will use Where Were You picture books, Photo Story Technology and primary documents in the Archives to research Alabama and American History.

Gerri McDonald Third-through-eighth-grade teacher (gifted) at Perdido Elementary/Middle School, Perdido Gerri McDonald proposed two projects: one on “Economics, It’s all in the Choices You Make” and “Serving Those Who Served.” Students will study WWII, interview local veterans and raise funds to send a WWII veteran on the Honor Flight South Alabama.

Beverly Robinson Fourth-grade teacher at Crossville Elementary School, Crossville Beverly Robinson will teach local and Alabama history through oral history interviews and class books. For the majority of her students, English is their second language.

Giving and Receiving (continued) SES students will explore the survival of Alabama’s Gulf Coast communities after such trials as Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. © M.O.C., Adrian Overstreet

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HF’s newest program, SUPER Emerging Scholars, will kick off its third year with three institute locations. In 2011, AHF will continue its partnership with Alabama State University and also partner with Auburn University and the University of South Alabama to offer this year’s institutes.

SES is a weeklong pre-college development program designed to offer specialized academic enrichment in the humanities. The institutes assist upper-level high school students in the development of skills necessary for success in secondary and postsecondary education.

The SES institutes are comprised of three major components: academic and collegiate University of South Alabama • Mobile • June 19–25 University of South Alabama Assistant Professor Kern Jackson will lead this institute and focus on the discipline of history and folklore. Particularly, students will examine the survival stories of the Grand Bay and Bayou La Batre communities. Students will be assigned into teams to conduct their own oral narratives on how residents of both communities have survived since the recent impacts of Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast oil drilling disaster.

enrichments, technology in academia, and college mentorship and guidance. The academic enrichment component will expose students to researching and writing for the higher-education environment. The technology in academia component will prepare students with the technology skills used in the humanities. The third component of college mentorship and guidance will give SES participants the opportunity to interact with current undergraduate and graduate students and recent alumni who will offer guidance on how to successfully navigate and negotiate the college landscape.

This year, student participants’ critical thinking, research and writing skills will be engaged by using different humanities disciplines at each of the three SES institutes.

Auburn University • Auburn • July 17-23 This institute, led by Auburn University Associate Professor Kevin Roozen, will focus on the English discipline by studying rhetorical principles in education. Students will explore this topic by closely examining readings and films that detail learning philosophies from ancient Greece to contemporary America.

Each institute has space for 16 students and there is no cost to attend. However, interested junior and senior high school students need to submit an application in order to be accepted into one of the three institutes. If you, or someone you know, is interested, please visit our SES Web page at ahf.net/programs/SES, or contact Michael L. Chambers, II, programs coordinator, at (205) 558-3999 or mchambers@ahf.net for more information. – Michael L. Chambers, II n

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SES is Three for Three

Jenny Newberry

Jenny Newberry

Alabama State University • Montgomery • June 12-18 Led by Bertis English, an Alabama State University associate professor, this institute will focus on the history discipline by examining the history of economic injustice in Alabama and across the Deep South. Students will explore this topic by closely engaging in readings, films and lectures that offer an indepth look at how economic injustice has been a fact of life for many Americans across the South.

Jenny Newberry

In Every Issue

Attend SUPER This Summer This year marks the 20th anniversary of the SUPER teacher program. SUPER has served more than 4,000 teachers from every county in Alabama, and enriched the education of more than 500,000 students. The following institutes will be offered in 2011.

The Alabama Coast: A Sense of Place July 10-15, Spring Hill College Directed by University of South Alabama Writer-inResidence Frye Gaillard, this institute will explore the history and culture of the Alabama Gulf Coast, with special attention to the recent BP oil spill.

The coastal disaster of 2010 has left a cloud of uncertainty over the economy, the environment and the way of life in this part of Alabama. But there is also a deep sense of place that sustains its people, and this institute will examine the components of that identity – the history, literature, music, food, and coastal economy that have tied the residents of lower Alabama to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the vast river delta so critical to the life of the region. The oil spill, which followed a rash of powerful hurricanes, now threatens that time-honored way of life; but the residents of lower Alabama seem determined to carry it on. Relying on a combination of historians, anthropologists, scientists, environmentalists, fishermen, writers, artists and chefs, this institute will explore that commitment in the context of these recent crises.

The primary purpose of this institute will be to understand this important part of our state. But it is also hoped that the participants will apply these lessons to their own communities, exploring with their students the ingredients of their own sense of place. The great Mississippi writer Eudora Welty once said, “One place understood well helps us understand all places better.” With that as the guiding theory of the discussions, participants will take a hard and first-hand look at the rich history and culture of the Alabama coast.

Mexico and Guatemala in Crisis: An Ethical and Literary Perspective June 6-8, University of Montevallo Led by Leonor-Vasquez-Gonzalez, Ph.D., associate professor of Spanish at the University of Montevallo, this institute, a language immersion program for Spanish teachers, will explore the discourse that ”failed” societies have become more and more recurrent to describe the social phenomena experienced by countries such as Guatemala and Mexico. The three-day institute will explore the causes of some current issues within this multifaceted crisis. The purpose of this activity is to provide teachers in the state of Alabama with a deeper understanding of the causes of some of the most pressing issues faced by these societies.

The program will be particularly helpful to Spanish teachers who are interested in broadening their

knowledge of the Hispanic culture, improving their own linguistic skills and finding the connections between the current situation in Mexico and Guatemala and the high rate of immigration in the U.S. and Alabama.

Vietnam, Vietnamese–Americans and Vietnam at War June 19-25, Troy University Led by Noel Harold Kaylor, Jr, Ph.D., professor of history at Troy University, this institute will allow participants to investigate the social, political, cultural and historical foundations of modern Vietnam and the effects of the Vietnam experience upon the United States. Vietnam is of great interest in the State of Alabama because of its growing importance for educational, economic and cultural interactions with U.S. institutions, corporations and individuals. Since the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Vietnam in the early 1990s and subsequent visits to Vietnam by U.S. presidents, a culture of mutual respect and cooperation has emerged in which admiration has replaced animosity on both sides. Presentations will allow participants to explore Vietnam’s search for independence from colonial domination, the Vietnamese Revolution, geopolitical Cold War context, the intervention of the United States, and various cultural topics.

Transcendentalism Light and Dark: Strategies for Teaching the Writings of Emerson, Thoreau, Poe, Dickinson, and Whitman June 28-30, AHF offices, Birmingham Directed by Gale Temple, Ph.D., associate professor of English at University of Alabama Birmingham, this three-day institute will impart practical and engaging strategies for teaching the writings of Emerson, Thoreau, Poe, Dickinson and Whitman. The primary focus of the sessions will be on connecting the works of these important antebellum writers to the social and political debates and discourses that were prevalent in antebellum America and that, in many cases, continue to resonate in the lives of Americans today. As such, participants will focus less on how the transcendentalists praised nature or idealized self-reliant individualism than on how their writings were fundamentally connected to the politics of reform in the middle decades of the 19th century.

–Thomas Bryant n

Wrapping Up SUPER 2010 This past July, AHF hosted two weeklong, residential SUPER teacher institutes. Mobile’s Spring Hill College was the location for “The Freedom Rights Movement in Alabama: From the 13th Amendment Through the Voting Rights Act of 1965” on July 11-16. Sixteen middle and high school teachers of history, social studies and literature from across the state participated in this intensive, multidisciplinary program directed by University of South Alabama history department chair Clarence Mohr, Ph.D. The program focused on the struggle for racial equality in Alabama during the century after emancipation and the cities most central to the story— Montgomery, Anniston, Birmingham, and Selma—as well as lesser-known, but no less important, history of the movement in Mobile.

Auburn University Montgomery was the host site for “Humanities and Human Rights” on July 18-23. Directed by AUM associate professor of English Nancy Grisham Anderson, sixteen teachers from around the state came together with scholars to cover some difficult human rights issues in various fields of the liberal arts. They studied how genocide, war policies, civil rights, sexual and gender issues, and art and literature are connected from the perspective of the humanities. The aim was to make the participating teachers aware of, and develop sensitivity to, major human rights issues so that they are informed when confronted with controversial subjects in their classes. – Thomas Bryant n

The deadline for these institutes is April 4, 2011. For complete information and to apply, visit ahf.net or contact Thomas Bryant, AHF Director of Programs and SUPER Manager, at (205) 558-3997 or tbryant@ahf.net. ahf.net

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Giving and Receiving (continued)

Many Thanks

W

ith the economy in the midst of a long slump, it was understandable when Giving USA Foundation recently reported that charitable giving dropped 3.6% in America last year.

This was the largest decline in charitable contributions by Americans since Giving USA Foundation began recording gifts in 1956.

But thanks to the leadership of the volunteer AHF Board of Directors, combined with the many individuals, corporations and foundations identified on pages 15-16, our educational programs have been growing both in size and in reputation. The mission

of AHF has never been more important than it is now. Notice the words of our mission: to create and foster opportunities to explore human values and meaning through the humanities. The state of Alabama needs these opportunities.

Your gifts support this mission and mean two things: 1) they define who you are and how you want to make a difference in Alabama, and (2) they provide the energy by which others put your plan into action!

We hope you enjoy the articles in this edition of Mosaic and, as we begin 2011, please consider adding your support to the mission of the Alabama Humanities Foundation. n

Written by Paul Lawson, CFRE AHF Director of Development and Public Relations

One of You: Mary Louise Tucker

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Winter/Spring 2011

o many, Mary Louise Tucker has always been involved with the work of the Alabama Humanities Foundation.

“She has been an outspoken supporter of our mission for many years, especially in Monroeville and southwest Alabama,” said Bob Stewart, AHF’s executive director. “She has a special gift of seeing a need in the community and matching it with a vision on how to make that happen.”

Mary Louise Tucker graduated cum laude from Central College, in Pella, Iowa, in 1949 with a dual major in history and English. She was one of the first African Americans to attend Central College. In 2009, the school honored her with the Alumni Achievement Award for her life and professional accomplishments.

Tucker earned a master’s degree in history from Atlanta University and an AA certification from Troy University. After marriage in 1954, she moved to Monroeville where she and her husband John A. Tucker raised four children. She taught in the public schools of Monroe County and at Alabama Southern Community College.

Tucker is an 18-year member of the Monroeville Kiwanis Club and in 2000 was named Monroeville citizen of the year. A favorite community activity of hers is serving on the Monroe County Heritage Museum Board. She traveled twice to Hull, England, when the museum presented the play “To Kill a Mockingbird.” She also serves on Monroeville’s Preservation Commission and on the advisory board of HIPPY, Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters.

Tucker served two terms on the Alabama Humanities Foundation Board. She has four children: Cynthia, of Washington, D.C., a 2007 Pulitzer Prize winner and keynote speaker at the 1997 AHF awards luncheon; Karen Tucker of Atlanta; Sheryl Tucker Vazquez of Houston; and J. Kevin Tucker of Boston. In her spare time, she enjoys chatting on Skype with her granddaughters, Maria Irene Vazquez of Houston and Carly Robbins Tucker of Washington, D.C. – Paul Lawson n

In Every Issue

Leaving Its Mark: The Daniel Foundation of Alabama

H

ugh Daniel was always quick to respond when asked about his personal keys to success. He cited hard work, not for the sake of work, but well-directed, efficient work; fairness, being fair in everything you do; and delivering what you say you will deliver. These simple attributes allowed Hugh Daniel to rise from humble beginnings to become a man who spearheaded one of the nation’s largest and foremost construction corporations; a man who provided the impetus to propel his corporation to world prominence in its industry; and a man who silently, without regard for personal gain and notoriety, instituted needed influence into programs designed for the good of the community.

For more than 33 years, the Daniel Foundation has taken a leadership role in supporting a variety of community needs across Alabama. From education to services for the homeless to helping children get a good start in life, the Daniel Foundation has helped many nonprofits face the future. The foundation’s stated vision includes strengthening communities and improving the quality of life, with a primary focus on quality educational programs,

arts and culture, civic and community programs, and medical care and research. “The vibrant nonprofit community of Alabama provides us with so many innovative and effective opportunities to enhance the lives of Alabamians,” says Maria Kennedy, executive director of the Daniel Foundation of Alabama.

The Alabama Humanities Foundation in particular has received grants in support of the multiple educational programs that support the mission. “With today’s challenging economy, this is the kind of support that allows us to provide top quality programs to improve the quality of education in Alabama,” says Bob Stewart, AHF executive director.

The Daniel Foundation takes seriously its role as a catalyst for other funding. Recently, organizations such as the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham Museum of Art, Children’s Hospital of Alabama and the Birmingham Zoo have been able to leverage the generosity of the Daniel Foundation of Alabama in securing additional gifts for major projects. – Paul Lawson n

Our 2010 Donors Founders ($10,000+) Alabama River Pulp Company Inc. Jere and Sara Beasley Regions Bank University of Alabama– College of Arts & Sciences Vulcan Materials Company Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation Director’s Circle ($5,000+) Alabama Power Foundation Inc. Bradley, Arant, Boult and Cummings LLP Circuit Court for Coosa County William Johnson* Parsons and Whittemore Enterprises Corporation Protective Life Corporation Robert R. Meyer Foundation Edgar and Louise Welden Sustainers ($1,000+) Alabama Power Company Richard and Nancy Anderson Balch & Bingham LLPBirmingham Balch & Bingham LLPMontgomery Beasley Allen PC Books-A-Million David A. Boutwell City of Birmingham The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham The Daniel Foundation of Alabama

Kathleen and Philip Dotts Bingham Edwards Ann Florie Reginald and Anne Hamner Hoover Public Library Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC John and Laurie Johnson Michael and Pat Levine Artis J. McCampbell Joseph and Sandra McInnes Charles and Catherine McLemore Merrill Lynch & Company Morgan Keegan & Company Inc. James and Elizabeth Noles David and Leigh Perry Thomas J. Poe Carolyn B. Reed Samford University-Brock School of Business Roderick Scott Gloria L. Sellman Stephens Foundation The Thompson Foundation Bob and Janelle Whetstone Benefactors ($500+) Alabama Southern Community College–Center for Literary Arts The Altamont School Association of College English Teachers of Alabama Auburn University-College of Liberal Arts Birmingham Public Library

Bonds Brothers Supply Company Stewart Dansby John and Pam Floyd Jr. Wayne and Sarah Greenhaw Carolyn Hansen Lucy Hicks Terry Humber Kay and William Kimbrough Mountain Brook City Schools PTO Inc. Lisa and Michael Mead Northeast Alabama Community College Ogletree Deakins PC Susan and Mike Perry Jane Puskas Renee K. Rotan Samford University-Frances Marlin Mann Center for Ethics Janet W. Seaman Shelby County Arts Council Larry Thompson Troy University-Office of the President UAB-College of Arts and Sciences University of Alabama Libraries University of MontevalloBehavioral and Social Science University of Montevallo-Office of Vice President for Academic Affairs Judge Dorman Walker Kendal and Penny Weaver

Patrons ($250+) Elizabeth Acker Alabama Writers’ Forum Baptist Health System Birmingham Lions Club Brasfield & Gorrie Inc. Governor Albert P. Brewer Beverly Broach David and Carole Campbell Capri Community Film Society City of Daphne Ellen and Fred Elsas William G. Gantt Dora H. Going April Guin Harrison Regional Library Ralph and Sandy Holberg III Mary and Michael Hubbard Elaine and Bobby Hughes Jefferson County Historical Commission Jerry Spurlock Iron & Metal Company Inc. Mike and Joan Krawcheck Kerry Mallory Nelya J. McKenzie Samuel J. Mitchell Gary and Jackie Mullen Donald G. Nobles Grady H. Nunn Carolyn H. Parker John and Linda Rochester Patrick and Sandra Ryan Garland Cook Smith Steiner Foundation Robert and Lida Stewart

Give to AHF AHF appreciates your interest in and support of the humanities in Alabama. To keep you informed of where your gifts are going, AHF regularly updates its website, ahf.net, with photos and information, and online forms and applications, that deal with our many programs, events and grant projects.

You will be pleased to know that giving to humanities is just as easy as learning about them. Our giving site, ahf.net/give, provides you with an easy opportunity to give at the click of a button.

Please consider giving online today—and while you’re at our site, browse around. You may learn something you didn’t know about the state and its rich humanities.

ahf.net/give Friends ($100+) Adamson Ford Gene and Pat Addor Albert L. Scott Library Virginia Amason Armstrong-Osborne Public Library Auburn University-Office of Vice President for University Outreach Autauga-Prattville Public Library James and Peggy Baird Penelope B. Bashore Beehive Coffee and Books Lisa and Gary Beers Keven and Katrina Belt Lynne Berry Birmingham-Jefferson History Museum

Donor list continued on page 16

Giving and Receiving (continued) Duncan and Marie Blair Philip P. and Mary Alice Boucher Loretta G. Brown Sallie Bryant BTC Wholesale Distributors Inc. Barbara S. Buice Carmen Burkhalter Peggy Burnett Nassif J. Cannon Jr. Janice Carden Richard and Barbara Casey Charles G. Cleveland Brooke and Daniel Coleman Charles and Patsy Collat Stephen and Mary Cragon Brad Creed Cathy and Larry Crenshaw Carol F. Daron Jimmy W. Davis Linda H. Dean Richard A. Diehl Emmet O’Neal Public Library Marvin R. Engel Fifth Avenue Antiques Wayne and Dorothy Flynt Frank and Judy Franz Lowell J. Friedman Henry and Carolyn Frohsin Peggy H. Galis George and Jean Gordon Hines H. Hall III Virginia Van Der Veer Hamilton William H. Hardie Wyatt Haskell Janice and Jack Hawkins Albert Head Gene and Barbara Head Kristin K. Henson Horizons Unlimited Gorman and Martha Houston Huntingdon College-Office of the President Huntsville Literary Association Chervis and Martha Isom Patricia E. Ivie Jacqueline Jackson Jackson Lewis LLP Ricardo Jaramillo Kenneth R. Johnson Johnston Barton Proctor Rose LLP Jane M. Kidd Marilyn Kurata and Robert Bradley Paul and Connie Lawson James and Judy Link Hope McCarrell Joseph and Tammy McCorkle Carolyn S. McCormick James H. McLemore Julian McPhillips Leon and Lucy McVay James D. Moebes Josh and Jane Mullins Jeffry Murphy Nall Alfred and Carolyn Newman Jerome and Dolly Newmark Donald R. Noble Jr. and Jennifer Horne Robert and Lin Olin Denise Oliver Winter/Spring 2011 Julia Oliver Thomas R. Osborne

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Virginia Patterson Martha Pezrow Lawrence Pijeaux Jr. Sanford and Jean Pinkerton Max and Julia Pope Claire and Holland Powell Linda B. Reynolds Bob and Patsy Riley Frances and David Robb Guin Robinson Elizabeth and Douglas Rodgers David and Sarah Ann Ross Calame Sammons John D. Saxon Ray Scott Security Engineers Inc. Robert and Libby Shaw Linda and Robert Smith Oliver Smyth III Carol O Sommers Jeannine Spann Shirley and Ted Spears Daniel and Esta Spector Gloria Spruill St. Martin’s in the Pines Mary S. Stewart Todd and Linda Strange Frances and William Sutton The Alabama Club Andre M. Toffel Mary Louise Tucker University of AlabamaCenter For Public Television University of Alabama Museums Thomas and Cheryl Upchurch Vulcan Park Foundation George and Mildred Wakefield Marion Walker Keith and Teresa Watkins Marianne and Al Weber J. Thomas Wheeler Frank White Alice McSpadden Williams Kathryn Tucker Windham Mary and Newell Witherspoon Nancy Worley Philip B. Young Carol Zippert Associates ($35+) Judith L. Aland American Association of University WomenMontevallo Laura C. Anderson Autauga Genealogical Society B. B. Comer Memorial Library David R. Baker Donna and Mason Baker James and Jane Barganier Theodore M. Benditt Harry Benjamin Hanna Berger Crystal Berryhill James and Eugenia Berta Neal and Anne Berte Bevill State Community College-Sumiton Campus Birmingham Civil Rights Institute Paul M. and Paula Bobrowski

Ann and William Boozer Alice M. Bowsher Edwin and Martha Bridges Calvin and Judy Brown Virgina P. Brown James A. Buford Jr. Marion Bumpers Carl S. Burkhalter Burritt on the Mountain Annie and Greg Butrus Dorothy D. Cameron Nathan Carter Mildred Caudle Childersburg Ladies Book Club D. Wayne Childress Choctaw County Public Library City of Mobile City of Pelham Georgine and Jack Clarke Bettye Fine Collins Colonial Dames 17th Century, George Maris Chapter Columbiana Public Library Donald L. Cook Ruth B. Cook Catherine and Robert Cope Walter and Judith Cox Sara D. Davis Genie Deason Judith and Joseph Deegan Demopolis Public Library Samuel A. Denham John V. Denson Imogene F. Dillon Juliette and Charles Doster Virginia Doyle David and Patricia Driscoll Vicki A. Drummond Priscilla B. Duncan Frances S. Durr Fairhope Public Library Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship Foley Public Library Gadsden-Etowah County Public Library William J. and Bunny Gamble Frances M. Gibbs Marshall and Helen Glass Alex M. Goldsmith Margaret Gunter H. Grady BradshawChambers County Library Caroline C. Haberer Peggy Hair Jackie Hambrick Judith H. Hand B. Ray and Roberta Hardman Elizabeth A. Heflin Marianne Hitchcock W. Bertram Hitchcock Marie F. Hooks Sara A. Hudson Hueytown Hobby Club Molly E. Hunter Irondale Public Library JSU Foundation Inc. Barbara L. Kacker Kennedy Douglas Craft Guild Murray Kidd Greta Lambert Jerry Lawson Sally and Will Legg Terry and H. Mari Ley

Jeff and Ellie Lienau The Lighthouse Group Inc. Walter and Carol Lowe Marengo County Historical Society Philip and Elizabeth McGrath Robert and Frances McKenzie Ann McMillan Mobile Genealogical Society Joseph B. Morton National League American Pen WomenBirmingham Albert and Patricia Nettles Carolyn W. Neyman Joan S. Nist Keith B. Norman John O. Northrop Jr. Emily F. Omura Cheryl H. Oswalt Robert and Alice Owens Ozark-Dale County Public Library Joseph A. Panza Jr. Danny and Melody Patterson J. Wray Pearce Beverly B. Phillips Patty A. Pilkerton Roland and Marsha Preston Frances K. Quick Venita Quick Carol J. Reese Kellee C. Reinhart Kathryn Boyd and John Rice Marlene H. Rikard John and Elizabeth Roth Donna Russell Tim and Sandy Russell Leah F. Scalise Romaine and Sally Scott Lee Sentell Tamela Seymour Bonnie M. Shanks Edward S. Smith Jr. Joseph E. Smith David C. Smitherman Tim Solley Will Hill Tankersley Jr. James and Sandra Taylor Robert Terry The Art Scene Joe and Martha Turner Tuscaloosa Public Library The UAB Educational Foundation Unitarian Universalist Church University of West AlabamaOffice of the President Vestavia Hills Public Library Walker Area Community Foundation Caroline Walker Sue B. and Ron Walker William and Patricia Warren Betty R. Watts Wyatt and Barbara Wells Westminster Village White Smith Memorial Library Karen S. Wilksman Jimmy Wiygul Charles P. Wood Fred Woods

Supporters J. Michael Burger Robert P. and Judith Bynon Mimi Chambers Jeffrey and Rebecca Cohn Barbara Evans Wayne and Karen Gillis Jimmy and Elizabeth Lakey Taylor D. Littleton Ed Mann Duncan J. McInnes Monroe County Public Library Michael and Patty O’Reilly St Elizabeth’s Guild Marion H. Taylor Samuel J. Tumminello III In-kind supporters Alabama State University Beverly Bashor Douglas Baulos Barb Bondy Rick Bragg Jerry Brown Bruce Office Supply & Furniture Annie Butrus Catherine Cabaniss William A. Christenberry Coca-Cola Bottling Company United Inc. Clayton Colvin Chip Cooper Derek Cracco Catherine F. Danielou Brian Edmonds Beverly B. Erdreich Barbara Evans Frank Fleming Phillip Forstall Randy Gachet Carolyn Goldsmith Karen Graffeo Wayne Greenhaw Jennifer Harwell Gene Head Wesley Higgins Bethanne Hill Darius Hill Lonnie Holley Mary Elizabeth Kimbrough Janice Kluge Bruce Larsen Sally S. Legg Charlie Lucas Mail Enterprises LLC Jane Marshall Nall Joseph Nicolosi Caleb O’Connor Karren Pell Susan Perry Amy Pleasant Random House Inc. Samford University-College of Arts and Sciences Sirote & Permutt, PC Larry Thompson Jane Timberlake Cooper University of AlabamaCollege of Arts & Sciences Vulcan Materials Company Maralyn D. Wilson Tributes In Memory of Dorothy “Dot” Williams Welden

By Lynne Berry, Paul and Connie Lawson

In Memory of Dr. Penelope Prewitt Cunningham

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By Judith H. Hand

Feature

Celebrating a

Legendary Author

Four-year-old Truman Capote in a linen suit.

Courtesy of the Jennings Faulk Carter Collection, Monroe County Heritage Museum, Monroeville, Alabama

T

ruman Capote spent a number of his formative years in Monroeville, Alabama, running around with Nelle Harper Lee, sharpening his skills on a typewriter. Here, we examine his life, his connection to Monroeville and his notorious novel In Cold Blood, 45 years later.

ahf.net

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Feature

Truman Capote: A History

As excerpted from the full Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Norman McMillan

W

orld-renowned author and popular-culture icon Truman Capote (1924-1984) was born in New Orleans and raised in the northeast, but his true sense of identity and the literature he produced were rooted more in Alabama than anywhere else.

Both of his parents were Alabamians, and his extended visits with Monroeville relatives and close friendship with Harper Lee greatly influenced his writing and his worldview. Capote’s flamboyant public persona and battles with substance abuse brought him as much attention as his literary output and made him a symbol of the artistic excesses that characterized New York’s literati in the minds of the public during the 1960s and 1970s.

Capote was born Truman Streckfus Persons in New Orleans, Louisiana, on September 30, 1924. His father, Arch Persons, was a well-educated ne’er-do-well from a prominent Alabama family, and his mother, Lillie Mae Faulk, was a pretty and ambitious young woman so anxious to escape the confines of small-town Alabama that she married Arch in her late teens. Capote’s early childhood with Arch and Lillie Mae was marked by neglect and painful insecurity that left him with a lifelong fear of abandonment. His life gained some stability in 1930 when, at age six, he was put in the care of four elderly, unmarried cousins in Monroeville, Monroe County, Alabama. He lived there full-time for three years and made extended visits throughout the decade. Capote was most influenced by his cousin Sook, who adored him and whom he celebrated in his writings. He also forged what would become a lifelong friendship with nextdoor neighbor Nelle Harper Lee, who later won the Pulitzer Prize for her book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Capote appears in the novel as the character Dill.

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Winter/Spring 2011

The Move to New York In 1931, Lillie Mae left her husband and moved to New York, never again to live in the South.

She changed her name to Nina, divorced Arch and, in 1932, married a wealthy Cuban immigrant named Joe Capote. The following year, Truman moved in with them and, in 1935, Joe Capote officially adopted him. Truman Streckfus Persons was now Truman Capote…

Beginning in Writing

Truman Capote developed an abiding affection for his cousin Sook Faulk, whom he made the central character in two of his most popular short stories, “A Christmas Memory” and “The Thanksgiving Visitor.” Here, Sook watches over Capote, held by Lucille Faulk, Capote’s mother’s youngest sister.

Courtesy of the Jennings Faulk Carter Collection, Monroe County Heritage Museum, Monroeville, Alabama

As a child, Capote showed a great interest in writing. In Monroeville, he was permitted to use the household typewriter and did so enthusiastically. At Greenwich High School, in Connecticut, he developed a clear sense of his vocation, nurtured by English teacher Catherine Wood.

While attending the Franklin School, an elite private school on New York’s Upper West Side, Capote was hired as a copy boy at The New Yorker magazine. There he developed and refined some of the personality traits that would later become his trademarks: eccentric and flamboyant behavior and dress, a highpitched lisping voice, and extreme outward self-confidence. He also cultivated friendships with influential people, especially women.

Unlike several other famous gay people of the time, Capote was very open and public about his sexual orientation.

Fired by The New Yorker for offending poet Robert Frost by walking out on one of his readings, Capote began to work on his writing in earnest. During his early twenties, he published several stories in Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle, and in 1948, at 24, he published an autobiographical coming-of-age novel, Other Voices, Other Rooms. The book received great praise for the excellence of its prose and earned national attention because of a

provocative photograph of the author posing seductively on a couch. Henceforth, Capote, like his literary contemporaries Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal, was known as much for his public persona as for his writing…

Mixing with the Upper Crust Capote loved to surround himself with the rich and famous, and he became a friend and confidant to numerous well-known people, including designer and photographer Cecil Beaton, playwright Noel Coward, and movie stars Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift, as well as President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, and her sister, Princess Lee Radziwill. He was the darling of a group of very rich women—he called them his “swans”—who entertained him aboard their yachts and at luxurious resorts throughout the world. He also gained even greater fame across the country as a frequent guest on television talk shows such as the Johnny Carson Show and the Dick Cavett Show.

Despite his heavy socializing, Capote maintained a rigorous writing schedule for most of his life. In 1949, he published A Tree

Feature

Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood at 45: A Retrospective of Night, a collection of stories, followed in 1950 by Local Color, a collection of travel essays. The Muses Are Heard, his comic satire of his travels in Russia with the cast of the George Gershwin musical Porgy and Bess, came out in 1956 and, in 1958, he published one of his best-known works, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a short novel set in New York.

Three years later, Paramount Pictures released a highly acclaimed film version starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard.

Two of Capote’s works were produced for the stage on Broadway. Although no expense was spared in their production, The Grass Harp, based on life in the Monroeville house where he stayed as a boy, was only moderately successful and The House of Flowers, a musical about two rival brothels in Haiti, was generally considered a disaster. Capote also wrote for the screen: in 1953 he co-authored the United Artists comedy Beat the Devil with director John Huston and, in 1960, he adapted the Henry James’ short story “The Turn of the Screw” into a script for the successful 20th Century Fox movie The Innocents. n To read more about Truman Capote, visit encyclopediaofalabama.org.

By Ralph F. Voss

January 2011 marks the 45th anniversary of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, which was the publishing event of 1966, but which also became much more than that: It is one of the most significant books in American cultural history. On its most basic level, it tells a captivating tale of multiple murders followed by pursuit, capture, trial, conviction and execution of the killers—all with the allure of Capote’s noisily persistent claims of absolute truth. But over the years, the excellent story within the book has been dwarfed by the larger cultural stories around it; that is, the tales of Capote and how he created In Cold Blood, how his life changed afterwards and how the book influenced popular culture have become more important than the book itself. Since its publication, there have been at least 17 separate creations about Capote, almost all of them focusing primarily on In Cold Blood: two films of the basic In Cold Blood story, two biographical films about Capote while he was writing the book, three documentary films about Capote and the book, two conventional novels and one graphic novel about Capote and the book, one standard biography of Capote’s life, one oral biography about Capote’s life, three one-actor plays about Capote’s life, and one collection of Capote’s letters.

There has even been an opera inspired by In Cold Blood.

None of this could be foreseen on November 14, 1959, when four members of the Herbert Clutter family were murdered in tiny Holcomb, Kansas. Within days after the crime, before the killers were caught, Capote arrived in Holcomb with his longtime Alabama friend Harper Lee, who had just finished writing To Kill a Mockingbird.

As the two strangers in town pursued the story that Capote at first envisioned only as an article exploring the shock in the community, Lee proved invaluable as a

research assistant whose graciousness and tact helped the flamboyantly gay Capote overcome the Kansans’ natural reluctance to speak to strangers (particularly one as off-putting to them as Capote) during the fearful time.

After the killers were captured, Capote realized there was a larger story to tell, a story that was perfect for his longtime desire to write an account about actual people and events. His research was exhaustive, and he used his abilities as a novelist to tell the factual tale—what he, in a catchy publicity-oriented phrase, called “a nonfiction novel.”

Pre-publication interest was phenomenal, so much so that the book became an instant bestseller. Similar publicity surrounded the starkly realistic successful film that followed in 1967. Interest in ordinary best-selling books and subsequent films would normally have faded after such splashy attention, but there was nothing ordinary about this work. Attention to In Cold Blood began to expand extraordinarily because of public fascination with its creator and his knack for calling attention to himself and how he got his story—the story of the story, so to speak.

That story begins with Capote’s nonpareil selfpromotion. Already a successful writer of gothic tales set either in his native South (Other Voices, Other Rooms) or his adopted New York City (Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Capote ambitiously wanted more, and he believed this factual story of crime and punishment would bring him the atten-

continued on page 21

Truman Capote with his aunt Mary Ida Faulk Carter during a visit by Capote to Monroeville in April 1963 while working on In Cold Blood.

Photograph by Jennings Faulk Carter, Monroe County ahf.net Heritage Museum, Monroeville, Alabama

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Feature

Capote’s Ties to an Alabama Town

By Jennifer Dome

A

rriving in Monroeville the day after the town’s official Christmas fruitcake sale, it’s clear just how much this town embraces its literary giants. The tradition stems from Truman Capote’s beloved short story, “A Christmas Memory,” and the sale takes place at the Monroe County Heritage Museum, where an exhibit titled “Truman Capote—A Childhood in Monroeville” is housed.

Approaching the town’s picturesque square, a historical marker declares: “TRUMAN CAPOTE (1924-1984) On this site stood the home of the Faulk family of Monroeville, relatives of the writer Truman Capote.” The home site is little more than a short, low wall of bricks now, but standing back, closing your eyes, you can almost imagine the house that once stood here. The house that was just doors down from where Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird

and Truman’s childhood friend, lived.

Capote moved to Monroeville to stay with his four elderly, unmarried cousins when he was six years old. According to Nathan Carter, a relative of Capote’s, it was a strange household consisting of one bachelor brother and three sisters. There were no other children in the house when Capote lived there.

But Capote formed a strong attachment to one cousin in particular, Sook. It is Sook, who called Capote “Buddy,” who Capote based at least two of his characters on, in “A Christmas Memory” and “The Thanksgiving Visitor.”

Capote himself appeared as a character in his childhood friend’s book To Kill a Mockingbird. Carter says both Capote and Lee were taken with writing stories, even at a young age. But it was Capote who pushed them to write, and to write every day, much to Lee’s chagrin at times. Lee’s father had given Capote a pocket dictionary, which he carried around, and gave him an extensive vocabulary for a boy so young. It was also from the Lee family that the children gained possession of a typewriter, which Carter says they used to lug back and forth from one house to another.

“They were both different from the norm,” Carter says about Capote and Lee. “She was a tomboy and he was the exact opposite and they were very, very smart and precocious.”

Although Capote only lived in

Monroeville for three years, he visited many times throughout the years. His friendship with Lee lasted for some time; Capote enlisted her help in 1959 when he began research for his book In Cold Blood. According to Carter, both Capote and Lee were “attracted to the macabre.” Capote felt he could tell this true story of the murder of the Clutter family and their killers, Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, in a way that read like a fiction book, though it was nonfiction. Lee accompanied him on his research trips to Kansas because “she had a knack for drawing a portrait of people really quickly with words,” Carter says.

Capote’s relationship with Lee, and his hometown and relatives, is evident in the collection of photos, letters and other memorabilia on display at the Monroe County Heritage Museum. From a letter Truman wrote to his aunt about putting off a visit to Monroeville because he had to go to Hollywood and work on the film version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s, to his baby blanket, the collection gives insight to this remarkably talented, eccentric author. n For more information on the Monroe County Heritage Museum, visit tokillamockingbird.com or call (251) 575-7433.

The Monroe County Heritage Museum

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Feature

Alabama Celebrates Capote The Southern Literary Trail has planned an event focusing on Truman Capote for Trailfest 2011.

April 2, 2011 Capote: 1966: A Year in Black and White In 1966, Truman Capote celebrated the publishing of In Cold Blood with a Black and White Masked Dance at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. Now 45 years later, scholars Ralph Voss, John Hafner and Don Noble will discuss Capote’s successes and failures. The film “With Love From Truman” by Albert Maysles and David Maysles will also be shown.

The Old Monroe County Courthouse, Monroeville 4 p.m.; program and film are free

For more information, visit southernliterarytrail.org.

In November 1966, Capote, known for his eccentricity, threw a lavish Black and White Masked Dance at New York’s Plaza Hotel. Above, native Alabamian Tallulah Bankhead’s mask worn at the dance. Courtesty of the Bankhead House & Heritage Center At right, a gown worn to the dance by New York socialite and author Brooke Astor. Photograph by Steven Bluttal, Museum of the City of New York, Costume Collection

continued from page 19 tion he seems to have craved since youth, when he was largely abandoned by his parents to be raised by relatives in Monroeville, Alabama. Soon after he began In Cold Blood in earnest, he also began promoting the project at every opportunity, giving interviews and public readings of excerpts, culminating in the story’s serialization in The New Yorker at the end of 1965.

At no time did he affect modesty. “I’m sure I have it all perfectly,” he said; “the book will be a classic.” Prior to and well after its publication, he made numerous appearances on network television, promoting both book and film. He embraced the role of celebrity writer, recognized not only for his books (especially In Cold Blood) but also for his opinions about crime and punishment as well as his tendency to share outlandish, gossipy remarks about people and topics of the day. He became, in his words, “famous for being famous.” His became a life of excess abetted by substance abuse; though he claimed to be writing another nonfiction book, a gossipy exposé about the lives of rich and famous people he knew, he never finished it before his death in 1984. In Cold Blood remains his best-known and most important book, but it is even more remarkable that the book and its creator have left such an influential legacy in popular culture.

One lasting influence of In Cold Blood is today’s popularity of “true crime” literature. Though Capote didn’t invent the genre, his success helped line bookstore shelves with “true crime” books by such writers as Vincent Bugliosi, Joe McGinniss, Ann Rule, Robert Graysmith and others.

Though critics still debate whether such a thing as a “nonfiction novel” is even possible, several successful books have been written and marketed as nonfiction novels, such as John Berendt’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and John Grisham’s An Innocent Man. In Cold Blood is still taught in high school and university classes in subjects as diverse as American literature, journalism, criminology and social studies. It is often cited in arguments about capital punishment. The belief of many that Capote fell in love with one of the men who killed the Clutters prompted questions about the role of homosexuality in the crime story itself and Capote’s writing of it.

Lee’s longtime friendship with Capote, his appearance in To Kill a Mockingbird as “Dill” Harris, and her research collaboration with him in Kansas caused enduring and irresolvable speculations about whether they may have written parts of each other’s books. Clearly, In Cold Blood continues, at 45, to attract attention to itself and to its author. n

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Spotlight On… SUPER Emerging Scholars: Where Are They Now? Now that our growing SES program is entering its third year, let’s look back and find out how some of the program’s graduates are doing…

Q: Where are you in school and what are you studying or planning to major in?

A: I am majoring in business finance at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Q: What important lesson(s) and/or skills did you take away from your week with SES?

A: SES certainly prepared me in several areas.

However, one of the most practical lessons learned was developing an independent mindset. SES was one of the few programs that actually gave us free reign. It was our responsibility to wake up on time, to complete our assignments, and to ask questions to the professors.

This is EXACTLY how my college experience has been.

I thank SES for giving us the freedom to choose, and I encourage them to continue with this approach.

Q: Tell me about a challenging assignment Bria Gilmore, Midfield, Ala.

you faced during your first year of school.

How did what you learned in SES help you tackle this challenge?

A: Well, term papers are assigned quite frequently.

Karen Gardiner’s lesson in SES. I always remember to be mindful of the “pathos, logos and ethos.” SES was the first time I had heard these terms and, since I’ve stepped foot on Howard’s campus, that is all that I hear.

Considering these things in my writings allows me to develop Grade-A papers every time.

Q: Why would you recommend the SES program to other students?

A: I would certainly recommend the SES program because this program goes far above its written objectives. It is designed to strengthen students intellectually while engaging them in the areas of humanities and African-American studies, but I received much more than that. It develops soft skills that you cannot learn anywhere but through experience. Also, the people that I met were awesome. I have an established relationship with Mr. Chambers and I have friends who I met in SES, and I still talk to them today. This is definitely an opportunity that I would recommend to all rising juniors and seniors in high school. It is challenging, but truly worth it! – Jennifer Dome n

Every time that I sit down to write a paper I recall Dr.

Checking In With Our SUPER Teachers Dozens of teachers across Alabama attend AHF’s SUPER institutes every summer and bring what they’ve learned back to the classroom. Here, we learn how they’ve been influenced by AHF’s scholars.

According to Karen Wilksman, her mother knew her daughter was always destined to be a high school teacher.

During Wilksman’s college days at the University of WisconsinEau Claire, one of her history professors and an English professor pointed her in that direction as well. As they say, the proof is in the pudding because years later, this A.P. English teacher has been selected as Huntsville’s teacher of the year for 2010. “I give freely, my materials or methods,” Wilksman says about the teamwork between teachers. “You always learn from others. You grab whatever you can from everyone else.”

It is this camaraderie that brings Wilksman back to AHF’s SUPER institutes year in, and year out. The most recent institute she attended, “Humanities and Human Rights” led by Nancy Anderson at Auburn University-Montgomery, taught her lessons she was easily able to bring back to her classroom. For the institute they read Nickel and Dimed and Outcasts United,

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among other titles, focusing on people who have low-paying jobs, are refugees, or face religious persecution. Both these books related well to her recent lesson on The Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck. Being able to tie the classics included in her curriculum to current works helps her students see the everyday lessons that can be learned in literature. “A lot of my students have told me how well they’re doing in college,” Wilksman says.

Her favorite institute thus far was the “America Between the Wars” course, led by Rich McGraw of the University of Alabama.

“I teach American Literature, so there’s a lot I can bring into the classroom,” Wilksman said of the history course. Whether it’s specifically an English-related institute or not, it’s the professional development she gets from SUPER that makes her recommend it to other teachers she meets. “It’s a learning vacation,” she says. “I could be a student forever.” – Jennifer Dome n

Karen Wilksman

Around Alabama Daring to Defend Our Rights

T

he AHF Faculty Development Awards and Humanities Forum are initiatives of the Alabama Humanities Foundation to offer Alabama scholars the opportunity for professional development and improvement of their teaching competencies. Each dean of arts and sciences in Alabama was invited to nominate the most outstanding, promising humanities scholar at his/her institution to participate in a forum.

Each scholar submitted a paper on “Civility: What Does Civility Mean in the 21st-Century Debate” to present at the forum.

Welcome to AHF’s Newest Staff Member!

In January, Dominique Linchet joined the AHF team as the new grants director. She most recently served on the faculty at Birmingham-Southern College as a professor of French for 16 years.

Linchet was born in Bastogne, Belgium, and grew up in La Roche, a picturesque town in the Ardennes forest. After earning her master’s degree in romance philology from the University of Brussels, she moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where she has family. She taught French and Spanish at Charlotte Country Day School for four years. She then pursued a doctorate degree at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and moved to Birmingham in 1993. She taught French as a lecturer at the University of Alabama Birmingham for a year prior to beginning her term at BSC. In 1998, she was elected to the board of the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers (AAFLT) and served as vice president and president of AAFLT for three years. In 2001, she was recognized by her peers and was awarded SCOLT’s (Southern Conference on Language Teaching) Outstanding Teaching Award, post-secondary.

She has also provided translation and consulting services to the Birmingham Museum of Art, to the theatre and dance faculty at BSC and to Community Health Access International, a humanitarian relief organization with which she traveled to Haiti in October.

More recently and since the end of her tenure at BSC, she has served as development and communication volunteer at ¡HICA! (Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama) where she has helped the organization grow its individual donor base.

Dominique lives in the Highland Park area of Birmingham with her husband, Jay Bender, and their two daughters, Sarah (16) and Laure (14).

Welcome, Dominique! – Jennifer Dome n

In partnership with the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, the forum “Daring to Defend Our Rights: A Discussion of Civility in Alabama Public Life,” based on the official motto for Alabama, will be an opportunity for the general public to discuss the topic of civility on Friday, March 25, at the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery. The author of the most outstanding paper will open the forum. A panel with a teacher, student, journalist, historian and community leader will respond to the scholar’s presentation on civility and encourage a public discussion. Dare to defend your rights and join us on March 25. – Susan Perry n

Road Scholars Speakers Bureau: Call for New Submissions AHF is seeking new Road Scholars to make presentations throughout the state of Alabama on a selected topic, usually speaking for 50 minutes and then answering questions for 10 minutes. Road Scholars typically speak three times a year and receive a modest honorarium for each engagement.

Road Scholars speak on topics in the humanities, including history, philosophy, language, literature, law, art history, archaeology, or anthropology. AHF will consider any topic in their field, but demand is particularly strong for presentations on Alabama history, folklore and literature.

AHF is especially interested in the following topics: • Immigration History and Stories • Civil War • Civil Rights Movement in Alabama • Immigration and the ever changing face of America • Alabama Immigration (Germans, Greeks, Southeast Asians etc.)

• Inter-migration of African Americans • America’s Westward Expansion • Music History (Rock ’n Roll, Country, Hip-Hop, Jazz)

• Mark Twain, Truman Capote and other celebrated Southern authors • Alabama’s Native American history and heritage • The Trail of Tears • Helen Keller • War of 1812 and removal of Creeks from Alabama • International Affairs • China and the rise of East Asia

Anyone interested in becoming a Road Scholar should submit a proposal with the following: Cover Letter: Include your name, home and office addresses, home and office phone numbers, fax number and email address.

Lecture Description: Provide the title and a two-page summary (12 pt. font, double-spaced) of your presentation. Please also explain what humanities disciplines the presentation encompasses, why the topic is important and interesting to the general public and/or teachers, and how you will engage the audience in dialogue, for example, through thought-provoking questions, hand-outs, A/V materials, photographs, artifacts, suggested readings, etc.

Curriculum Vita: Provide a condensed CV (12 pt. font, two pages max). Include information about what qualifies you as an expert on your presentation topic as well as information about your public speaking experience outside the classroom.

References: Provide the names and phone numbers of at least two professional references who can attest to your speaking abilities.

Submit all required proposal content via email to mchambers@ahf.net or to: Alabama Humanities Foundation, c/o Michael L. Chambers II, 1100 Ireland Way, Suite 101, Birmingham, Alabama 35205. To download the full RFP and complete guidelines, please visit ahf.net or contact Michael L. Chambers II, programs ahf.net coordinator, at (205) 558-3999 or mchambers@ahf.net.

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Telling Our Story An overview of the Encyclopedia of Alabama and a showcasing of its content.

Music Touches Our Lives Music is as important to our lives as Alabamians as rainfall is important to a cotton farmer. From hymns that echo off the walls of small country churches, to the sounds of The Temptations on radios all over the world, Alabama is known for its musicians. Our music comes from everyday life – from the sounds of workers on the railroads to traditional music coming from immigrants from afar. Learn more about the Music of Alabama in these excerpts from the Encyclopedia of Alabama (encyclopediaofalabama.org).

Railroad Bill Based loosely on the exploits of an African-American outlaw known as “Railroad Bill,” tales of his brief but action-filled career on the wrong side of the law have been preserved in song, fiction, and theater.

Gandy Dancer Work Song Tradition “Gandy dancers” was a nickname for railroad section gangs in the days before modern mechanized track upkeep. The men were called dancers for their synchronized movements when repairing track under the direction of a lead workman known as the “caller” or “call man.”

Benjamin Lloyd’s Primitive Hymns The Primitive Hymns, a hymnbook first published in 1841 in Wetumpka, Elmore County, is still in use by Primitive Baptist congregations across the country. During the late 1820s and early 1830s dissension had arisen among Baptists over various theological issues and practices, including the use of music during worship. This eventually led congregations to withdraw from the main body and join with other like-minded congregations under the name “Primitive” Baptists to identify them with the practices of the early church.

Ruby Pickens Tartt One of the foremost chroniclers of folklore, folk music and slave narratives in rural Alabama, Ruby Pickens Tartt (1880-1974) helped to fill the manuscript and music collections of the Library of Congress and preserve the culture of Sumter County, Alabama.

Traditional Music Folksong collectors have long considered Alabama a state rich in traditional music. This is particularly a result of the waves of Scots-Irish and African peoples that populated the region during the 19th century, whose musical traditions were sustained by the enduring agricultural economy and by their relative cultural stability.

Notable Grammy Award Winners Lionel Richie Blind Boys of Alabama Jimmy Buffett Emmylou Harris Alabama

Alabamians Sing on Screen Nell Carter Nat “King” Cole Jim Nabors The Speer Family

Songwriters from Alabama Julia S. Tutwiler

Her poem “Alabama” is immortalized as the official state song.

Hank Williams, Sr. Arthur Alexander Jimmy Buffett Delmore Brothers Louvin Brothers Donnie Fritts Wallace Daniel Pennington Edward C. “Eddie” Hinton

Religious Music in Alabama

Blind Boys of Alabama One of the best-known African-American gospel groups in the world.

The Speer Family One of the most popular gospel groups in Alabama.

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A hymnbook first published in 1841 in Wetumpka; is still in use by Primitive Baptist congregations across the country.

Special Section

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1. Hank Williams, Sr. 2. Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thorton 3. Nat “King” Cole & William “W.C.” Handy 4. The Temptations 5. Erskine Hawkins 6. Nat “King” Cole Courtesy of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame

5 Big Names in Alabama Music 1. Hank Williams, Sr. Few performers in the history of country music can compare with Hank Williams, Sr. (1923-1953) in terms of importance and influence. A key figure in the development of modern country music, Williams personified the musical genre’s shift from a regional, rural phenomenon to nationwide, urban acceptance in the late 1940s. Revered by fans drawn to the sincerity of his songs and his singing, and glorified by an industry that once ostracized him, Hank Williams, during his brief 29 years, was instrumental in turning “hillbilly” music into “country” music.

Excerpted from the full Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Jeffrey J. Lange, University of St. Francis

2. Jimmy Buffett 3. William “W.C.” Handy A native of Florence, Lauderdale County, W. C. Handy (1873-1958) was a songwriter, arranger, music publisher, and folklorist who became known as the “Father of the Blues” for his contributions to that musical genre. Among the most important American songwriters between the years 1910 and 1925, Handy introduced blues into the mainstream of

popular culture by writing down and combining fragments of melodies and words, turning them into complete written compositions, and disseminating them via sheet music, performances, and recordings. His boyhood home in Florence now operates as a museum and library in his honor.

Excerpted from the full Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Elliott S. Hurwitt, New York City

4. Emmylou Harris 5. Nat “King” Cole Nat “King” Cole (1919-1965) was a leading figure in American popular music in the 1940s and 1950s. A jazz pianist, composer, and singer, he was widely beloved for his smooth, silky voice. He was the first African American artist to host his own television program and fought for civil rights in a determined but understated manner. He remains one of Alabama’s most famous sons. Cole was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1985 and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

Excerpted from the full Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Tina Spencer Dreisbach, Hiram College

Telling Our Story (continued)

Alabama’s Rock and Roll Hall of Famers

Blues from Alabama

Nat “King” Cole

Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton

Wilson Picket Percy Sledge Spooner Oldham Eddie Kendricks (first lead tenor for the Temptations) Eddie Kendricks (1939-1992) was the first lead tenor for the Temptations, one of the most popular rhythm and blues (R&B) vocal groups of the 1960s. After lending his voice to a number of hit songs by the group, Kendricks went solo in 1971 and recorded other hits for Motown Records, including the dance floor classics “Keep On Truckin’” and “Boogie Down.”

Excerpted from the full Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Bill Dahl, Chicago, Ill.

Dennis Edwards (a lead singer for the Temptations)

W.C. Handy Willie Mae Thornton (1926-1984) was an influential African-American blues singer and songwriter whose career extended from the 1940s to the early 1980s. She was called “Big Mama” for both her size and her robust, powerful voice. She is best known for her gutsy 1952 rhythm and blues recording of “Hound Dog,” later covered by Elvis Presley, and for her original song “Ball and Chain,” made famous by Janis Joplin. Thornton’s compositions include more than 20 blues songs.

Excerpted from the full Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Tina Spencer Dreisbach, Hiram College

Adele “Vera” Ward Hall Considered by many music fans to be the foremost blues singer.

George “Wild Child” Butler Noted blues performer and harmonica player in Chicago’s blues tradition.

Bo McGee Blues performer, songwriter, and harmonica player.

Donna Jean Godchaux (vocalist with Grateful Dead)

All That Jazz Nat “King” Cole Erskine Hawkins Musician and Birmingham native Erskine Hawkins (1914-1993) was a prominent African-American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer during the Big Band era of the 1930s and 1940s. Known as the “Twentieth-Century Gabriel” (after the angel Gabriel, who is often depicted with a trumpet) for his flamboyant style and ability to hit high notes, Hawkins gained fame as a member of the ‘Bama State Collegians, one of the finest college bands of its time. His Erskine Hawkins Orchestra was a popular dance band in New York City, and with it he recorded “Tuxedo Junction” (1939) and several other hits.

Excerpted from the full Encyclopedia of Alabama article by Jeff Wanser, Hiram College Library

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James Reese Europe A key figure in the transformation of orchestral ragtime into jazz.

Herman Blount (Sun Ra) A visionary musician whose jazz styling and personal mythology left a lasting impression on modern music.

Albert Murray Not a musician, but contributed to American writing by creating a unique style using elements of black cultural traditions—the rhythms of black southern speech, folklore, cultural heroes, the blues and jazz— that influenced him during his coming of age in Alabama.

Special Section

Who knew?

The Top 10 Music Articles in 2010 at encyclopediaofalabama.org 1. Hank Williams, Sr. 2. Jimmy Buffett 3. Nat “King” Cole 4. Emmylou Harris 5. Alabama 6. Vera Ward Hall 7. Traditional Music 8. “Railroad Bill” Lyrics 9. Gandy Dancer Work Song Tradition 10. Benjamin Lloyd’s Primitive Hymns

On the Web, In the Know Stats as of December 2010: ➤ More than 3,140,000 page views and 1,301,000 visitors ➤ Visitors came from more than 220 Alabama communities and 200 countries and territories

➤ A total of 1,123 articles have now been posted on encyclopediaofalabama.org

About EOA The Encyclopedia of Alabama (EOA) is a comprehensive, online reference tool that tells the story of the state. For more information and a complete list of EOA sponsors, visit encyclopediaofalabama.org.

To follow EOA on Twitter, visit twitter.com/allaboutalabama.

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Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage Permit 3379 Birmingham, AL 1100 Ireland Way, Suite 101 Birmingham, AL 35205 phone: (205) 558-3980 fax: (205) 558-3981 e-mail: ahf@ahf.net website: ahf.net blog: ahf.net/blog

Mosaic is the magazine of the Alabama Humanities Foundation and is printed in August and January. The publication’s purpose is to educate on humanities topics, provide resources and information about humanities events, and instill pride and excitement in all Alabamians concerning the rich humanities in our state. Mosaic is free of charge and is available for online reading at ahf.net.

Corporate sponsorship of this issue of Mosaic made possible by Vulcan Materials Company.

The Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Enhancing Minds. Enriching Lives.